H2O: Just Add New Girls Part 2
by Colemet Milinia
Summary: After all that's happened, what will become of the new girls? When one of them is Will's little sister, can they be seperated from him and the others for long? What will become of their other friendships? This won't make sense if you haven't read Part 1! NOTE: ONE OF MY FIRST FANFICTIONS. (This is some of my first writing. I hope I've refined my skills since initially writing it)
1. Wonderstruck

**A/N: Hey! This is the part 2 (or sequel, I suppose...) to my first story H2O: Just Add New Girls Part 1! Please review! I'd love to know what you think of my story. The Part 1 of this series was my first ever fanfiction, so it's not very good. Please note: If you didn't read part 1, part 2 isn't going to make much sense. Be concious of thatb before you read. If you want to challenge yourself to figure it out from here, than knock yourself out. **

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><p><span>Chap. 1<span>

I walked to the end of the dock outside my boat house. I stood on the edge and then dove in. I hit the water and sunk down deeper. Just like every other day. The water felt so good.

Ten seconds later, my legs transformed into my beautiful tail. I still never thought I'd get used to the fact that I'm a mermaid. I have saltwater in my blood and in my genes from Will. I was born with the love of the water.

But now I love it more. I'm connected to it. And I'm glad I am.

I swim around a little. Then I feel a pull on my tail. My heart nearly stops. I swim to turn around and give a mental sigh of relief. It's Jessie.

Jessie's like my best friend since birth. She's been there for me forever. Mary and Jessie. It just has a ring to it. And now, we're even more bonded. Bonded by the secret. Bonded at the tail.

I turn my body in the water to look at Jessie. We both smile. It's amazing.

It really, truly is. We don't know why, why it was us or why it happened. We didn't even know how. We want to look for answers. We DO look for answers. But we can't find anything.

I don't know if I want to know… I mean, can't it just be a wonderful mystery of life? I never really admitted this to Jessie. I feel like I should. But I didn't want her wonder to persist because of me.

What the heck?... It's not like me to get like this. Oh well.

But we're not ordinary girls. No one knows that, though. Let's keep it that way.

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><p>I swim up behind Mary in the water. We always swim right out front her house and then go out to sea.<p>

The ocean is amazing, full of wonder and beauty and mysteries. I almost can't contain my excitement about it. Being a mermaid is incredible. But I still can't wrap my head around the fact. But it's amazing. I know Mary feels the same way.

Although it's one of the most amazing things that probably ever happened to anyone, it came with challenges. No more swimming in public. Or being wet in public. AT ALL. It's annoying, but it's worth the adventure. We have to keep the secret from everyone. No one can know, or we may end up in a dissection lab. And we all know THAT can't be risked.

I always wonder what would happen if we told certain people. Like Anna or Mary's brother Will. But we don't know who we can trust. And we may never know.

Having Mary alongside me through it is the best part. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

After I nearly gave Mary a heart-attack (which was VERY funny, by the way) we went for a swim. We swam in our special way and then we went into full-on speed swim. The bubbles swirled as our tails flapped in the water.

We came to a slow as we came to one of the reefs. There were colorful fish all around. It was truly beautiful. We both looked to one another, as if a mental telepathy told us when to. I motioned my head towards Mako Island. She nodded and we began to swim in that direction.

We reached the underwater entrance to the moon pool where it all began. We both came up and looked around the cave. We were transformed two weeks ago, so for the past two weeks, we've been trying to figure it out.

We kept looking around the cave, not saying anything. We were just thinking. We had no clue what to think. Finally, Mary spoke up.

"You know, it doesn't matter how long we stare at it. It's not just going to give us answers," she said quietly.

"I know," I conceded. "But there has to be a reason. It didn't just happen out of nothing."

"Well, we don't have to know everything. Can't we just let it be?" she replied. She looked kind of far off, like she was in her own world or something.

I didn't want to argue at a time like this, ESPECIALLY when she was doing her own-little-world thing, so I tried to be rational. "Aren't you just the least bit curious about all of this? Even a little?" I said.

"I guess…" she said uncertainly. "Look, maybe we should come back tomorrow. I'm kind of tired and I have a lot on my mind." She really looked like something was bugging her. I guess she shook off her little world. I tried to see if she would open up.

She sighed and decided to concede. "I've just been kind of hung up on keeping this from Will. I mean, we tell each other everything. It just feels kind of weird that this is an exception…"

I tried to reason with it to make her feel better. "Well, didn't you say he was keeping something from you? Doesn't that feel weird? You shouldn't feel bad. We have to keep this a secret."

"Yeah, I know…" she said. "Let's go. We ought to get back before our families throw a hissy fit."

"You're right," I replied. "Let's go."

We were still seriously wonderstruck. About a lot of things.


	2. Something's Different

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! I was in a little bit of a rush! Enjoy:)**

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><p><span>Chap. 2 <span>

"JESSIE!" I screamed through the house. I didn't know if she was home yet. She had been gone for ages. She said she was going for a swim. Who can swim for THAT long?

When I heard no reply, I dialed her number into my phone. It rang once before the stupid automated voice told me that there was no service. The same voice I had gotten for the past hour after trying to call over ten times.

Gosh, what was up with her? Ever since she went to that island she's been acting weird. She's never around the house, and when she is, she sneaks around. She seems to have a miniature, barely noticeable freak out every time she's near water, too. She never answers her phone when she's out. And whenever I ask her about it she just says "Shut up, LeeAnne," or "None of your business." Yeesh. And she thinks I'm moody?

Whatever. Who needs her anyway?

After hanging up on the automated voice, I got up and shuffled to the kitchen. I got out a cup of yogurt and looked for a spoon. There weren't any. They were all in the sink, which was filled with soapy water. Jessie forgot to do the dishes again.

Just then, I heard the front door open and Jessie came into the kitchen. I began to reprimand her.

"You forgot to do the dishes!" I scolded. "AGAIN."

She wasn't paying much attention. "Sorry…" she said, half-mindedly. "I'll get to it later."

"No!" I was yelling now. "Do them NOW!" I took the sponge that was floating in the sudsy water and threw it at her. It hit her shoulder, soaking the back of her shirt and send water dripping down her arm. She spun around, her eyes wide. She was obviously mad. Good.

She looked as if she was going to say something, but instead, she just stuttered, turned on her heel, bolted up the steps.

I felt satisfied with myself. That'll teach her.

But seriously. What was up with her lately?

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><p>The third period bell rang. We all got up from our seats in the science room and filed into the hallway. I met Mary outside the door. We had gym next.<p>

"Hey, Anna," Mary said with a smile as I met her in the hall.

"Hey," I replied. She looked kind of dazed and distracted as we walked through the halls. "Ready for gym?" I asked.

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Oh," she suddenly tuned in. "Uh, yeah, I guess…"

"Are you ok?" I asked severely. She's been acting like this for almost three weeks. She wasn't herself, she's been acting weird. Ever since… Mako. "You've seemed… off lately."

"I'm fine," she said quickly, almost as severely.

I was quiet for a moment as I pulled it together in my head. It made sense. I swear, she had been avoiding the water fountain and was never swimming when I came by her house like normal. She must be scared after what happened at Mako, with the water tentacle and everything. That had to be it.

I decided to concede to her. "It's just… you've been acting… different since, ya know… Mako" I said quietly.

"I'm fine," she restated. "There's nothing wrong with me. Just forget about Mako and everything. It's not a big deal."

I could tell she meant it. I could feel the edge in her voice and see the look on her face.

I decided to change the subject. "So… You wanna hang out after school today?" I asked.

"I can't," she said. "I'm going swimming with Jessie." She seemed to have calmed down. A good sign.

"Oh, that's ok," I replied. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Yeah, sounds good," she said.

I breathed a mental sigh of relief. At least she wasn't terrified of the water as I feared.

But wait… Then what was it?

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><p>Mary came inside after school by herself. She's usually been with Jessie for the past couple weeks. They've seemed inseperable lately.<p>

"Hey, kiddo," I said.

"Hey Will!" Mary called as she walked to her room. She dropped her bag and went to the fridge. She opened it and took out a bottle of water. She opened it and took a sip unusually carefully. I ignored it and tried to make conversation. "How was your day today?"

"Good," she said plainly. She sat down in a chair across from where i was sitting, grabbed her favorite book off of the end table, pulled her legs to her chest and began reading. I still continued talking.

"Anything new?" I said, hoping to get more than a one word answer out of her.

"Not really," she said, occupied by her reading. She absentmidedly took another sip of water.

"Do you have any homework?" I tried again.

"Only a little," she said, still distracted.

"That's cool..." I said. I picked up a magazine off the end table to look busy, but I was really thinking. This was Mary. She's usually so social and talkative. But lately, she's been acting different. She's been so reserved, to herself. Almost secretive. I really didn't know why.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" I said, trying to appease my uneasy thoughts.

This finally got her attention. She looked up from her reading and gave me a strange look. She chuckled. "I don't think so..." She shook her head with a teasing smile and went back to reading.

I was puzzled. What was going on with Mary?


	3. Close Calls

Chap. 3 

"Hey," I said to Will as I came inside our house. He was in our mini-kitchen. Ever since out parents got us this boat shed to live in, they let us make renovations to make it livable. And now it's my favorite place in the world. We added a mini-kitchen and two small bedrooms. Everything else was already there.

It was nice and cool inside. The Gold Coast was abnormally hot this year. I was sweating just from the walk home.

"Hey," he replied back as I dropped my bag and flopped onto the couch. "How was school?" He came over to join me.

"It was fine," I replied simply. I picked up a magazine and began to look through it.

"You're looking awfully hot," Will said to me. "How 'bout I fix that?"

Suddenly, he reached underneath the end table next to him, grabbed a water gun, and sprayed me. All over. With water.

The water gun! How could I have forgotten. Will and I kept a water gun in the house and would sneak up on each other and spray the other. We always had a good laugh over it. But not today.

I dropped the magazine, shot out of my seat and ran for the door. "I'll be right back!" I yelled to Will.

I heard Will satnd up behind me. "Wait!" he yelled. "Are you ok?" He sounded concerned.

"Fine!" I yelled as the door closed. I turned the corner around the other side of our house The side of the house faced trees, so as I transformed, I knew I was safe. I fell to the ground, sporting my tail. I landed with an u_mph! _

As I tried to situate myself, I heard our door open and close and then Will's voice. "Mary? Are you ok?"

I was debating whether to respond. If he heard my voice, he might come over here. I've been a mermaid for two weeks. I can't blow it _this_ early. I had to take the risk though. He sounded genuinely concerned, and I couldn't just leave him worrying.

"I'm fine, don't worry," I called back to him. I began hearing footsteps. "Don't come back here!" I said quickly. "I just… need a minute alone…"

"If you say so…" Will replied after a short pause. I began hearing footsteps again. Someone else was here. The footsteps ceased. I never took my eye off the corner.

"Hey Will," I heard. I breathed a huge mental sigh of relief. I'd know that voice anywhere it was Jessie. "Is Mary here?" I heard her say.

"She's over there," he told her. The tone in his voice was weird. I didn't know what it meant. "But she said she needed a minute."

"Oh, ok. I'll just wait out here," she replied to him. I heard the door open and close, a sign that Will went back in the house. I heard Jessie's voice again, this time cautious, slow, and low. "Mary…?"

"Back here," I said plainly. I saw her come around the corner, my eyes still locked to it.

"MARY!" she nearly screamed.

"SSSHHH!" I shushed her back. Why doesn't she just let the entire neighborhood know we're back here?

"What happened?" she demanded. "Did he… does he…?" I realized what she was thinking had happened. The worry on her face was huge. I quickly suppressed her fears.

"NO!" I almost yelled, too. Then I continued more calmly. "No, no, don't worry. He doesn't know. He didn't see anything." That seemed to do the trick. She took a deep breath and relaxed. She started again.

"If that didn't happen, then what did?" she asked, still trying to calm herself down.

I then took a deep breath to prepare myself. "I came home and sat on the couch, Will came over and sat down too. Then he sprayed me with a water gun and I ran out here to hide." I said. I recounted what I said in my head. Wow, that was just about the stupidest sounding story EVER.

"Mary, you should've been more careful!" Jessie reprimanded me.

"He sneak-attack sprayed me with a water gun, what was I supposed to do?" I yelled. How could she be angry over this?

I think she saw my point. "Whatever. It's over now, and our secret's safe," she said. "Let's just go swim."

Finally, the sun dried my tail and my legs reappeared. I stood up and we walked towards the water. Jessie spoke as we walked. "We can't swim for long. I promised Anna I'd meet her later."

"No problem," I smiled. "We'll make the best of it anyway." She smiled back at me as we dove into the ocean blue.

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><p>I walked toward the beach where I was going to meet Anna. I felt bad about having to ditch her earlier to go swimming with Mary, so I thought I'd try to make it up to her.<p>

Even though we had gone swimming, I was still in the midst of calming myself down after the commotion with Will. It scared me how close he had gotten to finding out, and I needed to make sure that Mary and I were at an understanding of how important it is to keep this secret. She was the one who pointed it out in the first place. She should get it.

I pushed it to the back of my brain as I spotted Anna on the beach. I took off my flip flops as I walked in the sand towards her. When I approached, I smiled. It would nice to be able to be normal.

"Hey," I said to Anna, a little more than cheery. She looked a little skeptic.

"Hey…" she said slowly. She chuckled a little. "Why so happy, Miss Cheery?"

"No reason," I said. I motioned with my head down the beach. She followed my lead and began walking. I was careful not to get too close to the water. We were silent for a moment as we set our course down the beach. After a few minutes, Anna finally spoke.

"So…" she started. "How's everything going?"

"It's fine," I replied. "School's pretty good. Except for gym. I'm SO not good at volleyball." I gave a light laugh. She returned the giggle.

"Yeah, we'll be finishing that soon. We're starting swimming next, so that'll be good," Anna said. She kicked some sand.

"Oh, that's—" I finally realized what she said. I stopped dead, sending some sand flying. "Wait, WHAT?" It came out too excitedly and anxiously than I had intended. I knew it sounded suspicious. Great. Now I was messing up.

"Yeah…" Anna said. She stopped and looked at me skeptiacally again, now carrying suspicion too. "Why, is there a problem?"

Oh no, I thought. Fear raced through my head, I just hoped it didn't show on my face. Time to fix this. FAST.

"No, no problem at all," I said quickly. I sounded way too anxious. She gave me a funny look. I finished what I started. "I mean, I'm just not a strong swimmer is all…"

"But I thought you and Mary just went for a swim…?" she said. She had a tone of question in her voice.

"Well, yeah…" I said back. I had to think fast. I couldn't let this turn ugly. "She was just… uh… helping me improve my swimming skills."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "If you say so…." She said warily. "I bet Mary will be happy about swimming."

I almost laughed at that with the given circumstances. "Yeah…" I replied. "I'm sure she'll be… ecstatic."

We were silent for a few moments as we walked. Rikki's café came into view. I pushed the sand around with my feet as we went along. I could hear the waves crash and kids playing. Anna broke our silence again.

"Wow," she said. I looked up at her. She was looking towards the sky. "Looks like it's going to rain."

I looked up at the sky too. She was right. The sun had disappeared from view and dark clouds hung in it's place. I heard a crash of thunder and saw lightning in the distance.

"Oh no," I said it under my breath but Anna heard me anyway.

"What's wrong?" she said, looking a little puzzled.

I threw my flip flops on the ground, slid them on and ran towards the café. I couldn't be caught in the rain. I HAD to get to the café.

"What happened?" I heard Anna yell, but I didn't stop. I faintly heard her begin to run too, but I was almost too focused to notice.

I finally reached the café and I burst through the beaded door, just then, it began to downpour. As I caught my breath, Anna came rushing in after me. She was slightly wet from the rain. I quickly took a step back.

"What's… up…?" Anna asked between her gasps of breath. "Why did you… run…?"

"Oh… uh…" I said. I tried to think of a new excuse. "It was… um… my top. It's LeeAnne's. If I get it wet, she'll kill me." It was actually a good excuse.

"Oh…" Anna said. "A little water won't hurt…" She walked towards a table.

I mumbled under my breath. "You have no idea…" I walked to go join her at the table. I sat down across from her and picked up the juice menu. As I glanced over the top of the menu, I saw Anna looking at her menu. I did a double take of the couple sitting next to us. When I looked back the second time, I realized who it was. It was Will, Mary's older brother and his girlfriend, Bella.

"Hey, Will," I said towards him. I didn't know if he'd know who I was, but I was just trying to be friendly.

He glanced over at me then smiled. "Oh, hey Jessie." As he went back to talking to Bella, I looked at my menu again. Then I heard Bella speak.

"Whoa, it's raining pretty hard out there," she said to Will. "'Guess I'm not going anywhere."

That caught my attention. Why couldn't she leave? Was it the water? Was she like me and Mary?

I quickly stopped myself and shook it off. I was probably drawing hasty, unlikely conclusions. I tried to push it to the back of my brain and ignore it.

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I squirmed to get it out and then I answered it. "Hello?" I said to the person on the other line.

"Jessie!" It was Mary's voice. "Where are you? Are you ok? Outside, it's—"

"Raining," I finished her sentence. "I know." She was in a little bit of a frenzy. I tried to calm her down. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

"Ok, good…" She sounded quite relieved. "I just thought, you were on a walk with Anna…"

"I was," I lowered my voice. "I ran into the café before anything could go wrong. But don't worry. Everything's ok."

"Alright," she said. "I have to go. I'll text you later."

"K. Bye," I said back to her. I snapped my phone closed and returned it to my pocket.

"Who was that?" Anna asked.

"Just Mary," I said. "Just seeing what we were up to. Should I go get our juices?"

"Sure," she said. She gave me her order.

I stood up and went to get our juices. As I approached the counter, I was just so happy that everything was ok.

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><p>I walked inside our boat shed, soaking wet from the downpour outside. I found Mary on the couch watching TV. I walked over to her. "Hey," I said. "Whatcha doing?"<p>

"Oh, hey Will," she replied. "Nothing," She looked up and finally noticed that I was wet and dripping on the floor. She leaned back and brought her legs up from the floor. "Uh… Maybe you should go dry off and put on fresh clothes…" She spoke with a hint of a timid smile on her face.

I laughed a little. "Come on, a little water won't hurt," I said to her. "Plus, I was going to see if you wanted to come outside and jump in rain puddles like we always do. It'll be fun."

She hesitated a moment before answering. "Um… I'll have to pass on that," she said.

My face fell. "But… why? We love jumping in rain puddles!"

"I just… don't really feel up to it today… I'm kind of tired…" she replied without looking me straight in the eye.

"Oh…" I said slowly and disappointedly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said quickly "Really, it's nothing. I'm just a little tired. Another time, alright?"

"Um… ok…" I said slowly. I walked towards the door and went outside. As I walked out the dootr, I looked back at my little sister sadly. When I got outside, there were a ton of little rain puddles to jump in. I walked up to one and limply splashed in it. It didn't feel the same without Mary.

I gave up on it and walked towards the stoop by our house. The rain was beginning to lighten up as I sat down. I had to think about this. Mary usually NEVER passes up an opportunity to splash in rain puddles, especially since it doesn't rain often. It was really unlike her. I started to wonder whether she was ok, but she seemed fine.

It was just odd. What's up with her?


	4. New Things

**Hi guys! Sorry this was a little messed up without the line seperations and what not. I also took the suggestion of adding the point of view of the character at the time. I hope this makes it clearer and more enjoyable to read. Happy reading! :)**

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><p><span>Chap. 4<span>

**LeeAnne (will also be referred to as Lee)**

I walked up the steps in our house and shuffled down the hall. I approached Jessie's door and then I stopped. I lightly knocked before I went in. She was sitting on her bed with a notebook and a pencil in her hand, tapping it on the notebook quickly. There was music coming from her stereo. She took the stereo controls and paused the music.

"Hey Lee," she looked up at me. "What's up?" She looked away went back to scribbling in her notebook.

I crossed my arm and cocked my hip. "Dishes," I said flatly. "You _still _didn't do them." I tapped my foot impatiently.

She remembered finally. "Oh yeah… I'll get right on that," she said. She pressed the power button on the stereo, swung her legs over the side of her bed and closed her notebook. She brushed past me in the doorway and started down the hall. She stopped and turned around. "Where are the dish gloves?" she said.

"In the cabinet behind the soap," I answered.

"Thanks," she replied. She walked down the steps. I realized I was still standing in the doorway. I unfolded my arms and entered her room. I noiselessly sat down on the bed so she wouldn't hear me. She hates me being in her room, almost as much as I hate her borrowing my clothes.

I picked up the bright yellow notebook she had been toying with before she left. I began flipping through the pages. It was a whole lot of nothing, just school writing assignments and random doodles. Towards the last bit of the pages, I was about to give up. But then something caught my eye.

I opened the book all the way and studied the page. It was a very detailed drawing. The drawing took up more than three pages. The first page had a picture of a weird shaped rock with three holes in it. There as a little note by it that read 'Crystals' and it pointed to the holes.

I flipped to the next. This one was of a pool surrounded by rocks. The water was bubbling a lot and had a column of water rising out of it. This time the note read 'Water tentacle and bubbling pool'.

The last page had a drawing of what looked like a hole in the top of a cave, almost like a volcano. It had a slash of something going through it. The note read 'Glowing blue light'.

This is weird, I thought. What would Jessie be drawing that looked likethis?

I snuck the notebook under my sweatshirt and tip-toed to my room. I _had _to look into this.

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><p><strong>Mary<strong>

I met Jessie at the moon pool that afternoon. It had become our special place, no matter how much it freaked us out.

I had learned how to torpedo through the water with my tail which made swimming a lot faster. As I jetted past reefs and sea life, the moon pool cave came into view. I slowed to my normal swimming and took in the scenery around me. The beautiful coral surrounded me as well as big and little fish of all different colors. A large blue and green fish swam so close that I could touch it. The whole view was breath taking.

I swam into the dark cave, sorry to leave the underwater beauty behind. The surface came into view as I propelled myself upward. I reached the surface, blinked the salt water out of my eyes, and settled myself on a rock. As I regained normal vision, I saw Jessie sitting opposite to me. She began talking as I settled. "Well, glad you could join me, Mary. For a second, I thought you were going to leave me here alone!" We both laughed.

"So what's the haps?" I asked. I saw a bubble on the surface of the water. I poked it with my finger. It popped.

"Nothing," Jessie replied. We were silent for a minute until she spoke again. "I wanted to talk about this week," she said quietly.

"What about it?" I asked curiously.

"You know, things have happened…. With Will and…" I cut her off.

"PLEASE don't tell me you're still mad about that?" I said impatiently. I was exasperated. Was she still hung up on something that wasn't my fault?

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, we've had a rough week," she replied smoothly.

"Rough how?" I interjected.

"Well…" she started. "There was the whole thing with Will," I rolled my eyes. "And then I almost got caught. Twice…" she trailed off.

"What?" I asked. "What happened?"

"There was the time from the rain… And then LeeAnne through a wet sponge at me…"

"Why'd she do that?" I asked, more curious than concerned.

"I didn't do the dishes," she said with an annoyed tone and face. She stuck her tounge out. I giggled.

"Well, we've had some pretty close calls this week. We've got to be careful," I said. We were silent for a while. I swished my tail back and forth through the water.

"So…" Jessie started. "How's Will?. . . Is he… like… suspicious?" She sounded as if she was afraid to know.

"I don't think so. He's been spending an awful lot of time with Bella lately," I said, trying to get away from the suspicious part.

Something must have clicked in Jessie's mind when I said Bella because her face perked up. "Bella!" she almost yelled. "I had to tell you this!" She went on to explain what she had heard Bella say at Rikki's Café.

Bella. I had COMPLETELY forgotten about Bella until that moment. Forgotten that she was a mermaid. Forgotten that she was like us.

"Isn't that weird?" she finished.

"Yeah… It… Uh…" I was stuttering. I was debating whether to tell her. Was it really my secret to tell? It was as much Bella's as it was ours, after all. But shouldn't a mermaid know about another mermaid's existence? I decided I had to tell her. "Um… Jessie, there's something I need to tell you . . ."

"What is it?" she asked anxiously. She leaned forward a bit, edging for me to tell her.

I closed my eyes slowly. "Bella's a mermaid," I blurted. I surprised myself. It came out quick, clean, and true.

"She's WHAT?" Jessie shouted. She almost toppled into the water from leaning so forward on the rock. Her tail splashed in the water.

"Bella's a mermaid," I repeated. "I saw her. . . I was swimming out in front of my house and I was swimming to. She had a tail just like ours. She's a mermaid, too."

Jessie looked taken aback as she edged her way back stably onto the rock. Something dawned on her. "She didn't see YOU, did she?" Gosh, this was always her first concern.

"No, I was hiding in the shadows. And it was before we became mermaids anyway," I assured her.

"So. . . What do we do now?" Jessie inquired. "I mean. . . Do we tell her or. . ." I cut her off.

"No way," I jetted back. "If we tell her we know she's a mermaid that will just sort of freak her out. And we can't tell her about us because she may tell Will."

"What if we told Will?" Jessie suggested. I thought that over for a second. I suddenly stopped as the crazy dawned on me.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly ready to tell my brother he's dating a mermaid, are you? Plus, it's not our secret to tell. We just need to keep quiet about this until we figure out what to do," I replied.

"Ok, that sounds good," Jessie said with an empty stare.

"Come on, let's go," I told her. "We should probably head home."

"Good idea," she said. We edged our way of the underwater ledges and dove beneath the surface. We began to pick up speed and torpedoed out of the cave.

And then we were gone.


	5. Suspicions

Chap. 5

**Anna**

I walked up the school steps late on Monday morning, still half asleep. I went through the doors and started to walk down the empty hall. Everyone was in their homeroom class already. I walked past the library and the nurses office. Everything seemed especially still and quiet. Being half asleep, it was kind of nice.

Until a shrill voice made it all go away.

"ANNA!" screamed the voice. A voice belonging none other than to LeeAnne. I turned around warily to look at her as she ran down the hall in her fashion sandals with something bright yellow clenched in her grasp.

"Hi, LeeAnne," I yawned as she finally approached me. "What's up?"

"Call me Lee," she said, as if _that _was the apparently dire reason she needed me.

"Whatever," I mumbled. I seriously wasn't in the mood. "What do you want, _Lee?_" I corrected myself.

"I want you to take a look at this," She turned her attention away from me and towards the notebook. She opened it up and began flipping the pages towards the back. She stopped on a page with an intricate drawing. "There," she pointed.

I studied the pictures she had motioned to. It looked exactly like the cave from Mako Island. I flipped through the three different pictures that LeeAnne had pointed out. They all looked like Mako. I read the notes by each picture. Each described one of the odd occurrences that we had experienced on that island.

"Where did you get this?" I asked her, without taking my focus off the pictures.

"I took it out of Jessie's room yesterday afternoon," she replied smoothly.

"_Really?"_ I was anxious now. What we had experienced, she had written it all down, drawn it, detailed it. There _had _to be a significance. I felt like there was something they weren't telling me.

"Yeah," Lee interjected my thoughts. "It's so weird. What do you think it means? I mean, you probably know Jess like this. What do you think?"

"I don't know. . ." I spoke absentmindedly, trying to compose my thoughts that mattered. "Can I hang on to this for a while? Maybe Jessie can tell me something about it."

"No way. You can't tell Jessie I have this. She'll kill me!" Lee said.

"I won't let her know I have it. Trust me, you'll have it back before she knows it's gone," I reassured her.

"Ok, fine," she agreed. "But only for a day or two. . ."

"That's all I need," I stated. "Thanks." I turned my back on her and clenched the yellow-spiral notebook as I walked to class. This book could possibly hold answers to my suspicions. Something was up.

And this notebook would help me find out what it was.

**Cleo**

I swam through the water towards Mako Island. I was going to meet the girls there, but I was already late. Sadly, stopping to play with the dolphins wasn't an option right now.

I slowed down and swiftly made my way into the dark underwater cave leading to the moon pool. As I went in further, light sliced the surface and I could see again. I saw two golden tails glisten in the water as I began to surface.

"You're late," was the first thing that came from Rikki's mouth.

"Sorry," I said with a guilty smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing for us," Bella interjected. "What kept you?"

"Laurie held me at work," I replied. "Ronnie was being a bit of a pain," I giggled. "How're things at the café?" I asked Rikki.

"Fine," she said. "But I guarantee Sophie's more of a pain than Ronnie." We all laughed out loud.

"Yeah, Will told me. . . Hey, what's that?" Bella trailed off and was pointing at a spot just past Rikki's head. We turned to see what she was looking at. It was almost a distorted oval shape in the sand. Bella and I both swam closer to get a better look.

"Is that. . . Is that a. . . Foot print?" I said.

"I don't know. . ." Rikki trailed off as she studied the indent.

"No doubt that's a foot print," Bella said.

"Which means. . .?" Rikki stated.

"We're not the only ones who know about this place," I finished.

**Jessie**

"EEE EEE!" squealed the dolphin. I smiled as I grabbed onto its back fin with both hands. It began rushing through the water and squealing some more. I laughed as bubbles came up. I let go and rose to the surface for air. I had timed myself for the second time that day. Seventeen minutes and forty seven seconds.

I smiled as I dove beneath the surface once again. I decided to take a toll to the moon pool. I've had a lot on my mind lately and the moon pool always relaxes me.

I swam towards the cave opening and made my way into the darkness. I kept swimming, waiting for the familiar bright blue water to appear. I was shocked to see three golden tails like mine in the bright blue water.

I quickly retreated soundlessly into the darkness once again. I rose to the surface quietly in the very back of the moon pool, out of sight in the shadows. I looked to see three girls relaxing in the moon pool. I recognized all three of them. It was Bella, Cleo, and Rikki. And they were all mermaids. I had to put my mouth under the water to keep from screaming.

As I did so, bubble raised to the surface and popped, slicing through the quiet laughter of the three other mermaids.

"What was that?" said Bella.

"What?" Cleo asked.

"I thought I heard a noise in the back of the pool," Bella explained.

"I heard it to," Rikki confirmed. They all turned their heads my way. They couldn't see me through the shadows.

They all started moving toward where I was. Oh no, I thought, I _have _to get out of here! I held in my breath tightly so no bubbles would escape as I submerged. I made my way below the surface soundlessly and sunk towards the bottom. I pushed off the cave floor backwards to get out of the cave.

I was vaguely able to see where the girls had swam to and heard muffled voices from above. I made my way fully out of the cave, turned around and torpedoed toward home. I tried to wrap my head around the fact that that we weren't the only mermaids.

Now I _really_ had a lot on my mind.

**Will**

After the rainy day yesterday, the sun was once again shining on the Gold Coast. It was a great day for a swim outside. I changed into my swim trunks and grabbed a towel. As I threw a tank top on, I heard the door open and Mary's voice yell "I'm home!"

"Hey!" I called out. "I'll be right out!" I quickly slathered on some sunscreen on and scrambled for my flip flops. I slipped them on my feet then walked out into the main room. Mary was getting an Algebra book out of her school bag when I walked in. She pulled out a notebook, sat down, opened her books, and began working.

"I was going to to go for a swim. I was waiting until you got home so we could go together. What do you think?" I asked Mary.

"Not today. . ." she said quietly.

I stopped dead. Mary _NEVER _passes up a swim. "Why not?" I asked curiously.

"Just. . . Not feeling it today. . ." She wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Have you been feeling ok?" I was starting to get a little concerned. "You love to swim, but you haven't gone in weeks. What's going on?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," she insisted. But I was persistent. I walked closer and bent down next to her.

"Are you not telling me something? Are you keeping something from me?" I asked her.

"Just forget it," she said. She sounded irritated. And she still wouldn't look me in the eye.

"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" I was trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, I know," she said. She continued writing.

"You can talk to me about anything, too," I added.

"I know," she replied.

"If there's ever anything bothering you. . ."

"Alright, Will."

"I'm here for you."

"Ok."

"I know something's up," That made her stop her writing. "I know something's going on."

She tried to brush it off, but I could see in her eyes that I was right. "You're ridiculous. There's nothing—"

"Yes, there is," I retorted. "What are you keeping from me?"

"Forget it, Will," she said seriously. She began working out another math problem.

"You can tell me, whatever it—" She finally snapped and cut me off.

"I can't!" she yelled. She finally looked at me. She looked away after a moment and cooled down. "I have to focus, this is due tomorrow. . ."

"Alright," I said quietly. "I'm going for a swim." Without another word, I left.

Now was a good time for a swim. I needed time to think this through.


	6. New Discoveries

**Hello, faithful readers! Sorry for the sllooooowww update. But it took a while, this chapter is LONG and INTENSE. I hope you enjoy :) Please review and twell me whatcha think. ;) Updates will become quicker now. I'm going to be working on new fanfics too! Cool, so Happy reading! ~JNZ**

* * *

><p><span>Chap. 6<span>

**Lee**

"LEEANNE!" Jessie's voice rang through the house and echoed off the walls. She screamed with fierce anger that was so loud that it even broke the music blaring through my headphones as I sat in front of my laptop. Just the fact made me laugh a little.

Suddenly, Jessie burst through my bedroom door. The door swung back with force that made a _BANG! _when it hit the wall. Her face was red with fury. Although I couldn't imagine just what she was mad about now.

"Thanks for knocking," I said sarcastically. I turned back to the computer screen. Jessie stomped over to where I was sitting and slammed the laptop shut.

"Um, I was using that!" I said, exasperated. "Rude much? What's your problem?" I turned to look at her.

She looked me dead in the eye. "My notebook, that's what. Where. Is it?" Her hand was still resting on top of the laptop.

I stopped dead. The notebook. Oh gosh. "Uhm... What notebook?" I said, playing dumb.

"Don't play dumb, you know what notebook," Wow, she's good. "Now where is it?"

I tried bluffing my way out of. "I have no idea what you're talking about. . ."

"Yes you do! You KNOW you're not supposed to take that notebook. It's MY property. I've told you enough times to keep your hands off!" she yelled.

"Why?" I retorted just as loudly. "Are you hiding something?"

She hesitated for a moment and lowered her voice a little. "No," she said, simply but seriously. "It has my English assignment in it. It's due tomorrow, second period."

Crap. I knew that she was telling the truth. "Oh. . ." I stuttered. "I. . . Uh. . ."

"Lee, where is it?" she asked again, finally regaining her temper and patience.

"I, uh, kinda lent it to Anna. . ." I replied quietly. I was surprised at myself for coming clean and telling the truth.

"WHAT?" She was back to yelling. "WHY?"

"She said she needed it for something, I dunno. . ." I said. "Sorry. . ."

She back off, rubbed her head, and let out a sigh. She began pacing slowly too.

"Don't fret about it," I tried to reassure her. "You'll see her tomorrow to get it back before you need to turn it in. . ."

"It's not just that, LeeAnne," she declared warily. "That notebook kind of doubles as my journal. Some things should remain personal in my life." She let out a deep breath again.

"I'm sorry, Jess. . ." I apologized. "I didn't know. . ."

"It's ok," she said quickly. "I'll fix it." She walked out of my room and shut the door.

Then she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Bella<strong>

I was walking along the beach in bare feet, all by myself. I felt the sand between my toes and I smiled. Suddenly, I felt my mobile vibrate in the pocket of my blue shorts. I quickly took it out and flipped it open. "Hello?" I spoke to the caller.

"Hey," It was Will's voice. My smile grew bigger.

"Hey," I replied. "How are things?"

"Ok. . ." he spoke quietly. There was an edge in his voiced that told me something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" I instantly asked. I heard a long pause followed by a long sigh through the speaker. "Will," I said quietly. "What's wrong?"

He conceded. "Well. . ." he began. "I'm worried about Mary. . ." My face melted to confusion as he spoke. Why would he come to me with this? Maybe he thought it was a girl thing. My thoughts were immediately cut short by him continuing. "She's been acting. . . Different."

"Different how?" I inquired. I was still confused.

"Different like. . .you different," I was slightly offended for a second. He was speaking slowly, and something in his voice told me not to be offended. He continued. "She's been. . . kind of. . . avoiding. . . water."

This got me thinking. I asked further questions. "Like how?"

"Well. . . uh. . ." He paused, as if trying to think about it. "She ran out of the house when she got sprayed with water and she passed up rain puddles as well as a swim. She _never_ does that," he took a breath after soeaking pretty fast. "Should I be worried. . .? Or am I overreacting?"

I thought about it for a minute. Will's little sister a mermaid? No way. I figured even if these things were true, it's still unlikely that she was a mermaid. She'd never been to Mako Island in a full moon, right? I decided to reassure Will otherwise. "I'm sure it's nothing," I began, breaking the long pause. "It's probably just a phase. It's really unlikely that she's like us. I wouldn't worry, Will."

He gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks Bella. That made me feel better."

"No problem," I found myself smiling again. I looked out over the ocean. "Hey, I gotta run, I'm gonna go for a swim."

I could almost feel his smile as her replied. "Ok," he answered. "Have fun."

I clicked my phone shut. I shoved it back into my pocket, gave a quick look down the beach, and ran towards the water. I dove in and felt myself transform. I quickly picked up speed and torpedoed towards the reefs out at sea.

I finally reached my favorite spot. I was greeted by all sorts of colorful fish and beautiful plants. I swam behind on of the oddly shaped ones and looked through the formation in it, shaped like a giant circle.

I did a double take and looked back. Through the hole in the reef, I saw another mermaid. I was confused. I didn't remember Rikki or Cleo say anything about going for a swim. Was I supposed to meet them? I couldn't remember. I squinted, trying to see the face better. She had blond hair. It must be Rikki.

But it wasn't. The mermaid got closer. And I finally saw her face. And what do you know.

It was Mary, Will's little sister.

* * *

><p><strong>Anna<strong>

I started walking to the bust stop, Jessie's yellow notebook clenched in my hand. I had been studying it since Lee had let me borrow it. I was so enthralled in the pictures that I didn't see a rock in my path. It caught my foot and I fell. The notebook flew out of my hands. I gathered myself, shook it off, then retrieved the notebook. I almost stumbled again when a loud voice startled me.

"ANNA!" yelled LeeAnne. I turned around to face her. She looked frantic. Before I even had a chance to greet her, she went on. "Where have you been? I've been calling and texting you since last night!"

"Oh. . ." I said. "Sorry. I didn't turn my phone on yet. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned it on. Everything popped up at once. Five missed calls and eight text messages. I flipped my phone closed and returned it to my pocket.

"What did you need?" I asked her. She pointed to the notebook in my grasp.

"_That. _I need it back. And now," she stated firmly.

"What?" I didn't want to give it up. There was still so much I had to figure out. "But I still need it. . . I. . . I. . ."

"I need it NOW!" she retorted. She tried snatching the book away but I jumped back. "Jessie's already mad at me for the fact that it's gone. Now I need it even more because her English assignment is in it! Now give it!"

I caved and reluctantly handed it over. "Thank you," she gasped.

"Where is Jessie anyway? Doesn't she usually ride the bus?" I asked her, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, but today she decided to walk with Mary," She rolled her eyes. "They've been inseparable lately."

"So I've noticed. . ." I muttered. Although I no longer had the book, I still knew there was something right below the surface.

* * *

><p><strong>Rikki<strong>

The café was really, Zane and I were struggling to keep up with the crowd. Everyone popped into the café after school, so this chaos didn't surprise me.

I was busy handing a person their change when Cleo approached the counter. I barely noticed when she greeted me.

"Hey," she began. "How are things?" she asked me. I picked up a juice and handed it to a customer before I answered.

"Fine," I said quickly. "How was—"

"Rikki, table four spilled a smoothie, they need napkins," Zane told me with a towel slung over his shoulder, carrying a tray with two empty glasses on it.

"Got it!" I yelled back. I grabbed a handful of napkins, dropped them at the table, and then retook my place behind the counter. Another customer demanded change.

"Whoa, your hands are pretty full here, huh?" Cleo beckoned as I counted out quarters.

"Yup," I said. Zane emerged from the office and took care of the next few customers. I finally got a moment to talk to Cleo.

"So, how'd you do on Mr. Kentt's science quiz today?" Cleo asked me. "I think I got a B."

"Yeah, I think I did pretty well, but number—" My thoughts were interrupted by my text-tone on my cell phone. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the text. "It's Bella. . ." I told Cleo. I finished reading. "She says she needs to see us urgently."

"What's happened?" Cleo asked. She craned her neck to look at the message with a worried expression on her face.

"I don't know. . . She didn't say. . ." I replied slowly.

"Where did she say to meet?" Cleo inquired.

"The beach," I said, scanning the text.

"We need to go. Now," Cleo declared. She started for the door. I followed her.

"Zane, could you hold the fort for a little while, I have some business to attend to," I called to Zane.

"Well, Rikki, I. . ." he began. I didn't let him finish.

"Thanks you're the best!" I don't even know if he heard me, but we were already gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Cleo<strong>

We jogged towards the beach, scanning up and down it for sight of Bella. I spotted her near some rocks. I nudged Rikki and pointed to the spot. We sprinted towards her.

We finally reached her, sweaty and out of breath. "Hey. . . Bella. . ." I said between gasps. "What's. . . Up. . . ?"

"You know, the running wasn't necessary," She had an odd expression on her face and laughed a little.

"You said it was. . . Urgent. . ." Rikki announced as we caught our breath. We all sat down on the sand, re-caught our breath, and settled down.

"So what was so urgent?" I asked Bella as she stared out over the waves.

"Well. . ." She hesitated. It was something serious.

"Come on, Bella," I said calmly. I put my hand on her knee as a gesture of reassurance. "You can tell us anything."

"It's not about me. . ." Rikki's and my expression went confused.

"Then what is it?" Rikki inquired.

"It's about. . . It's about Will's little sister," Bella spoke slowly and clearly.

"What about her?" I asked.

"She's a. . . a. . . mermaid," Her voice was almost a whimper.

My jaw dropped. Will's little sister. Mary. A mermaid? It couldn't be. Rikki sat there, even more stunned than me.

"But. . . Wha-. . . How do you know?" I stuttered.

"I. . . I saw her when I was out swimming. She. . . she's just like us," Bella's voice shook. She was tearing up.

"What?" Rikki cut in. "You saw her out swimming? Did she see you?"

"Rikki!" I reprimanded. But Bella answered anyway.

"No, I was behind one of the reefs when it happened," She was almost crying now.

"Bella, why are you getting so upset?" I put my hand on her back. She sunk her head into her hands. "It's ok."

"I know, I know, it's just. . ." She paused. "She's Will's little sister! And he doesn't know! He was even worried about her and I told him not too. It's going to kill me that he doesn't know, but it might hurt him if he does. I don't know what to do!" She let out a huge sob.

"Bella. . ." I began. "I think. . . I think we'd better tell him. . ." Rikki looked surprised.

"But. . ." Bella began.

"Bella, Cleo's right," Rikki said, breaking her personal silence. "Will needs to know about this. He needs to know about her. Mary probably has no idea what she's in for. She's going to need help. We have to tell him."

"You're. . . you're right," Bella agreed with a nod. She wiped a tear, stood up, and brushed sand off of herself. "Let's go."

"Now?" I asked.

"No time like the present," she said. "Come on." She began walking up the beach in the direction of the Benjamin's. Rikki and I stood up and followed her. And now, we were off to tell Will that his little sister was a mermaid.

* * *

><p><strong>Will<strong>

I heard a knock at the door as I was lounging on the couch with a diver's magazine. "It's open!" I called to the visitor.

The door opened and Bella, Cleo, and Rikki all entered. "Hey guys," I said to them with a warm smile "What's up?"

"Will, we need to talk," Bella said seriously. She led the pack right now. Their expressions were all stiff, worried, serious, and grim. Something wasn't right. I sat up and closed my magazine.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slowly but surely. I was beginning to get worried.

Bella cut to the chase and didn't waste any time. "Will, it's about your sister." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from my eyes. I still kept mine locked on hers, trying to read them.

"Mary? What about her?" I asked suspiciously. What in the world was going on?

"She. . ." Bella was still the only one speaking. She finally met my eyes again. "She's a mermaid."

I giggled at the fact for a moment. I couldn't imagine it. But then I looked back to Bella's eyes. From the deep look, I knew she wasn't kidding. Then it hit me. She wasn't kidding. My face fell and I went stiff. All I could manage to say was, "What?"

"Mary is a mermaid. Like us," She motioned to the her and the others.

I couldn't believe it. Mary was a mermaid? It couldn't be possible. It just couldn't have happened. There was no possible way. I wouldn't let myself accept it. How could it have even happened anyway? How did Bella know? Millions of things were racing through my mind at that moment, but my mouth couldn't seem to process any of it. I only could muster a few words. "How do you. . .?"

Bella understood what I was getting at. "I saw her," She answered my question. "She was out swimming by the reefs at Mako. Underwater, tail and everything."

Oh my gosh. It was true. I _know_ Bella wouldn't lie about something like that. Millions of thoughts kept going through my mind. I don't know how long I sat there thinking. Maybe a minute, maybe a year. I couldn't even tall anymore. My mind was only worried about one thing right now; Mary is a mermaid.

One question was above all. "But. . . how?" I muttered.

"We don't know," Bella said. She got very serious. "Will, you need to confront her about this. You can't let her go on like this. We just needed to tell you."

After a minute, my mind regained the capability of forming complete thoughts and actually being aware of what was going on. "Yeah, I know," I told Bella. "And I will. . . I just need time to. . . just. . . think this through."

"Ok," Bella replied quietly. "I trust you," She wrapped her warm arms around me in an embracing and reassuring hug. It made me feel worlds better. "We better go and leave you to this," she went on through our hug. "Let us know how it goes."

"I will," I said. We finally released.

"Good luck, Will," said Cleo. It was the first time she had spoke the entire time.

"Yeah," Rikki said, speaking for the first time as well. "Good luck."

"Thanks, guys," They headed for the door. "For everything." Bella looked back and smiled, waving with one hand.

And now I was alone with the new information that my little sister was a mermaid. Uh-oh.


	7. Thinking Things Through

Chap. 7

**Jessie**

Mary and I relaxed in the cool blue water of the moon pool on Mako Island. We sat on rocks that were submerged under the surface, swishing our tails back and forth in the water, just talking and laughing.

"I'm serious!" she said, still laughing her head off. "It really spilled! It went EVERYWHERE! Will was such a klutz!" We were still raging with laughter.

"ALL of the corn spilled out of the can?" I could barely speak through my giggles.

"Yeah," she said. We stopped talking in order to get out our chuckles. When we finally calmed down, I started talking again.

"So. . . How are you with Will?" I tried to address the subject sensitively. I knew that she didn't like keeping our secret from Will. I sometimes bring it up to see if she wants to talk about it, but I'm never sure.

"Everything's fine, I guess. I'm getting used to the fact that I just can't tell him," she explained. "And I'm becoming ok with it too, I guess. Life just needs to go on." She sat there and looked like she was in thought with the deep expression on her face and the complexity of her eyes. I wish I knew what exactly she was thinking.

"Have you been. . . you know. . . careful?" I spoke quietly and slowly.

"Yeah," Her tone made it sound as if this was just normal conversation. Her expression changed a little. "But he's kind of suspicious. He confronted me the other day about something. He said he knew something was up, thought I've been acting weird. . ."

I got worried. "What did you tell him?" I asked quickly.

"Nothing," she said plainly. "I just basically shrugged him off. I'm not worried though. And you shouldn't be either. It's unlikely that he'd ever guess I'm a mermaid. It's not exactly an everyday accusation. Unless he somehow gets viable knowledge of this, he'll never have a clue. A mermaid isn't exactly everyone's first thought when it comes to secrecy. . ."

I knew she was right. Her words made me feel relieved inside. It was totally reassuring. "You're right. I'm sure our secrets safe. We just have to be careful," I told her.

"I know. And we will be. But we just need to keep living our lives. We can't let this run it," she replied.

"You're totally right," I said. I slumped down in the water a little. We were quiet a moment. Mary broke our short mutual silence.

"It's funny. . ." she trailed off for a second. "It seems kind of the _Will's _been acting weird the past day or so. And I don't know why. He just seems sort of. . . reserved. . . distant. . . I don't know, I'm probably just over thinking it, " The look on her face was far off, as if trying to remember something or figure it out. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Just keep an eye out," I instructed. "We still have a lot to figure out, a lot to think through."

"Yeah," Mary said. "We do."

**Will**

I paced in our boat house back and forth after school. It had been a day already and I still had no clue what to do.

It was on my mind all day yesterday and all night. I barely got any sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about it at school either. It's the only thing on my mind; Mary is a mermaid.

No matter how much I thought about it, the same questions danced in my mind. _How? When? Why? What do I do? Ask her? Make her transform? Tell her I know? Why didn't she tell me?_

And the more I thought about it, it didn't get easier. How am I supposed to tell my little sister that I know she's a mermaid? Especially when she was deliberately keeping it from me?

What if I didn't tell her at all? What if I just let her be? Maybe I would do that.

I slapped myself. I couldn't let it be! How could I have even think that? She _had _to know I knew. She has no idea what's happened to her. She's probably scared. I need to protect her. What if something happens to her?

Now I'm sounding over-protective. I can't just control her life because she's a mermaid, right? I mean, the girls are doing fine. But she's a lot younger. She's in over her head. Something needs to be done.

This was getting out of hand. I was even starting to avoid Mary or at least keep my distance. This was just so mind twisting and thought provoking that I couldn't even pretend everything was ok.

I flopped into a chair, leaned over, and put my had in my hands. I let out a huge sigh. I was literally driving myself insane over this. But how could I not? This is serious.

And I still had no clue what to do.

**Mary**

I strode through the door after my swim with Jessie at the moon pool. Will would already be home. I kicked off my flip-flops as I yelled, "I'm home!"

I walked further in to discover Will sitting on a chair, looking a bit troubled.

"Hey," I said, with a no-doubt curious tone and peculiar expression. "What's up?"

He became alert. "Oh. . ." he replied warily. "Uh, nothing."

I sat down on the couch. "What's new?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Nothing really," he muttered. He still looked kind of off. I reached toward the coffee table for a magazine. Will spoke again. "Watch out for the glass of. . . water," he said. His tone was odd, too.

His warning was too late. I knocked the glass with my hand causing it to splash and spill. I pulled my hand back, quick as lightning. The liquid narrowly missed my skin.

I looked at Will to see his reaction. His eyes widened at the sight for a second and then he turned to me. I had to think fast. "That was, uh, close, huh?" I said quickly, kind of stumbling over my words.

"Yeah," he replied. His voice was far off. "It was."

He still had that far off, weary look to him. I confronted it. "Is everything ok?"

He looked at me. He tried to shake off what he knew I saw. It was a failed attempt. "Yeah, sure. Why?" he asked.

"You've just seemed. . . I dunno, kinda. . . distant, or something lately. . . Is there anything you need to talk to me about?" I replied smoothly.

He hesitated. "No. . ." he said. "Is there anything _you _need to talk to _me _about?" He shot his words back at me.

Now I was confused. "No. . . Why would. . . ? Will, what's—" He cut me off.

"I need some fresh air," he stated. He stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll be back soon," He walked outside and shut the door.

There I was, alone. I had tried to reassure Jessie earlier not to worry. And now, I knew more in my heart than in my mind that there was something to worry about.


	8. Exposed

**Whew! It's done! I _really_ hope you guys like this chapter, I worked really hard on it! Thanks for the nice reviews :) ~JNZ**

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><p><span>Chap. 8<span>

**Will**

I got home from school a little earlier that day. I still was thinking about Mary. I had finally figured out what to do. I was going to make her transform in front of me. I had no other choice, really. If I just asked her or told her that I knew, she'd probably deny it. This was the only true way to know. And now I had a plan.

I paced around our small kitchen. There was a knot in my gut the size of Australia itself. I was still fighting myself on this, still worrying, still fearing. I had such a mix of emotions that I didn't know what to do. I could potentially explode.

Before I had any more time to think, Mary came through the door after returning from school. She dropped her bag by the door and slipped off her shoes. She noticed me in the kitchen and gave me a smile. "Hey," she greeted me. She came over and joined me in the kitchen, taking a seat on a stool opposite to the counter.

"Hey," I shakily greeted her back. I began to put my plan into action. I walked over to the fridge, took out a bottle of water and poured it into a glass. I gave a quick glance at Mary. She flinched slightly. I took a sip and set it down between us. I tried staying casual. "How was school?"

"It was fine," she told me. "Except for my biology pop quiz. Mrs. Strach is brutal with them," I was barely paying attention to her words. She lifted her arms and rested them on the table. Perfect. "How was your day?"

At first, I didn't realized what she said. It finally occurred to me that she asked me a question. "Wha-" I tried to respond. "Oh, um, it was fine."

She lifted her eyebrow for a second and then just shook her head a little. I picked up the glass of water and took another sip. My plan was really about to start. I began. I carefully set the glass down on the counter. As I pulled my hand away, I did so in a way that caused the glass to fall towards Mary, making it look like an accident.

It worked. The drink fell, spilling water all over Mary's forearms. The knot in my stomach grew bigger.

Everything happened so fast. Mary's eyes widened as she looked at her arms. She frantically grabbed the dish towel next to her and began rapidly trying to dry off her arms. I tried being casual again. "Is everything ok?" I asked nonchalantly.

"It's. . . it's. . . fine," she struggled through her words, still in a drying frenzy. "Just a little water is all. . . " Five seconds.

She almost had herself completely dry. But just then, the spilled water dripped off of the counter onto her legs. She realized she was just about out of time. She shot off the school and started to run towards her room. The boat house was open besides our rooms and the bathroom. "I'll be right back!" she yelled.

She made it to the living area before I said something. "Don't bother," I called. "I already know. . ."

She whirled around on me. "WHAT?" she yelled. And then the change happened. She fell to the floor. I walked around the counter so I could see her.

So there I was, standing over my little sister as a mermaid. I couldn't believe it. Even though I had known before hand, I had neglected to prepare myself mentally for seeing her like this. I just couldn't believe it.

I searched Mary's face as she lay there on the floor. She looked severely upset, almost hurt. I almost felt bad about doing this to her, but the feeling was quickly suppressed out of anger at the fact that she didn't tell me. I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground.

"So. _That's _what's going on."

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><p><strong>Mary<strong>

So there I was, laying on the floor of our house in all my mermaid-glory, Will standing over me. I couldn't believe this. He was seeing me as a mermaid. And even worse, he already knew! How'd he know? How could he do this to me? Why'd he make me go all fish? Why couldn't he have just _told _me he knew I was a mermaid like any normal older brother would?

Ok, granted, most older brothers don't usually have the opportunity or a need to do that. But you get the idea.

Will's face stiffened as the look of nausea and shock left it. Now he was looking serious and firm. I didn't like it. He crossed his arms and finally spoke. "So. _That's _what's going on."

I studied his face. He was stiff. His face was strong. If he still had the initial shock that was visible before, he was hiding it pretty well. His face was unreadable. His blue eyes were moving, looking me up and down, like he was studying me. I don't know if I'd ever felt more vulnerable than I did right then.

I decided I needed to say something, anything. I thought fast. "This. . . isn't what it looks like. . ." Wow. _That _was lame.

Will raised his eyebrows at me. "Really," he said skeptically. He walked over and bent down next to me. "Because it _looks _like you just got wet and then you grew a tail."

Crap. He had me there. He then took a strong arm and slipped it under my back, then slipped the other one under my tail and lifted me up. I felt his entire body tense when he touched my tail, but he didn't say anything. He walked me over and gently put me on the couch. "Explain," he ordered.

"Could you get me a towel?" I asked in order to avoid having to actually explain. Also, I would rather not just sit there with a tail.

"Not until you explain," he said. He was _not _making this easier.

"How'd you find out?" I demanded in a harsh tone. I still lay there with my tail as he took a seat in a chair where I lay.

"That's not important," he told me calmly. He was handling this way too well under the circumstances.

"It is to me," I shot back.

"Mary. . ." he coaxed soothingly, trying to get me to calm down. It wasn't working.

"Will," I spoke quick and aggressively.

"Calm down," he told me. "It's not the end of the world."

"Yeah, not for you," I muttered so he couldn't hear me.

"Mary," he repeated. "What's going on?"

I couldn't believe how incredibly calm he was about this. It wasn't right. He looked like he was about to hurl before and now all of a sudden he's cool and rational? It didn't make sense! I didn't know what to do. I just kind of lost it then.

"I don't know!" I was almost yelling. "I just. . . I just don't know. . ."

He moved on to a new question. "How long have you been like this?"

Due to the lack of water on it, my tail finally air dried and I transformed back, just like usual. I glanced at Will. His eyes were wide. He quickly shook it off. I returned to a sitting position and crossed my arms, not meeting his gaze.

"How long?" he repeated. I felt his eyes on me.

"I don't want to talk about it," I spoke firmly, still not looking at him.

He was silent for a moment and let out a sigh. I finally worked myself up to look over at him. He wasn't looking at me, but I could see a deep complexity in his eyes, one that I couldn't understand. He looked back at me and I looked away. "Why didn't you tell me?" he finally said.

I sighed. "Because I couldn't," I told him.

"Why?" he asked in reply.

"Because. . ." I had no idea what to say next. But I had to say something. "Because this is serious. And I can't just throw our secret around like that," I spoke as I thought of me and Jessie. And then I realized what I said.

Will noticed too. "Our?" he inquired.

Oh no. "My," I said quickly. "I meant my."

"But you said our," Will was persistent.

"Forget it, Will," I told him.

"Mary. . ." he started.

"I'm done talking about this," I made the snap decision as I stood up. "I'm going out," I headed for the door.

"Mary," I heard Will stand up behind me. He jogged up behind me and grabbed my arm, trying to make me stay. I quickly pulled out of his grasp and broke into a run out the door. I could hear him jogging too.

I didn't know what to do. If I just kept running, he'd make me come home. I made another snap decision. I ran for the dock and dove of the edge. I sunk down in the water, head first, and began swimming. Less than five seconds later, I heard another splash into the water. Will.

I transformed again. My speed before I transformed wasn't fast enough, and before I could break into a full mermaid swim, Will caught up to me. He swam up on my right side. I tried to swim faster, but he was keeping up speed somehow. He pushed towards my body and wrapped his left arm around my waist. When he finally got a good grip, he began dragging me towards the surface. I tried everything to break free of his grasp, but he was too strong. He held on and just pulled me up.

We finally reached the surface. We were floating on the surface for a second. Will was catching his breath while I, personally, was fine. Will's left arm was still clinging tightly around my waist, not letting me break free.

"Let me go," I told him sternly. I stopped struggling for a moment.

"No," he said just as stern. "You need to talk to me about this."

"I don't want to," I replied harshly. I lowered my voice. "At least not now. . ."

"Mary, you can't run away from this!" he said.

"I'm not!" I resulted to yelling now. "You just made me turn into a mermaid in our house and then began interrogating me about it! You _honestly_ expect me to want to talk about it right after that?"

His grasp around my waist lightened a little. He was silent for a moment. "I. . . I'm sorry," he spoke gently now. "I was. . . just. . . worried, is all. . ."

"You don't need to be," I replied. "I'm fine. I just need time to think."

He finally released me. I swam around to face him, but he wouldn't look at me. "Ok," he agreed. He sighed. "I'm sorry," He repeated.

"I know you're worried. But I'm ok," I coaxed reassuringly. "I just need time. Can I please have that?"

He nodded, still not meeting my gaze. "Yeah," he spoke slowly. "Do what you need to do."

"Thank you," without another word, I dove beneath the surface and began swimming. I looked back. Will was underwater now too, watching me swim away. I broke into a torpedo swim and just kept going, not having a clue where I was headed.

There was a huge knot in my stomach now, but there was also a small feeling of hope in my heart that everything would be ok.


	9. Now What?

**Hi, readers! I'm sooo sorry, this is WAY over due! I had TERRIBLE writer's block for the past two weeks! When I finally got the real idea, I raced down and typed my little heart out! I hope you guys like it! PLEASE remember to review, and thank you so much for the nice reviews I have gottenm! They were such a blessing! Thank you! Now what are you doing still reading this? READ THE CHAPTER BELOW! ~Happy Reading~**

**Oh! One more thing! This story is getting LONG (as in surpassing part one, and making it unfair {Lol} haha) and since there is still A LOT to say and finish, I'll be making a part 3! *Applause* (as you can see, I don't take myself to seriously. Where's the fun in that? ;) Hahaha) Make sure you look out for it! NOW RRRRREEEEEEAAAAADDDDDD! :D :D :D :D**

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><p><span>Chap. 9<span>

**Jessie**

I walked down the beach in my bare feet, squinching sand between my toes and swinging my arms back and forth, one hand holding my flip flops. Beachgoers were starting to wrap up for the day, it was dwindling close to the evening. Most people would show up again later since it was a Friday night.

I was listening to the waves crash evenly onto the shore, careful to avoid the splashing water. I've been thinking so much about Mary and me, our secret, how everything has changed. And it's starting to worry me. How are we ever going to pull it off? I always try to push it to the back of my mind to avoid worry, hoping that we won't have to pull it off, that it will just be. But it always comes back to haunt me sometime.

My thoughts are interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pocket. I take it out and flip it open. It's a text from Mary. _We need to talk,_ it reads_, Meet me at Mako as soon as you get this. _

I don't waste any time. I run to the sea rocks and place my phone and shoes in the small rock crevice that the rocks make, well away from the water and the shore. I run back towards the water, quickly scan the beach to see if anyone's looking and then immediately splash into the water and begin swimming. As soon as I transform and pick up speed, I torpedo towards Mako.

I slow down and enter the cave. Light pierces through the water and I emerge from the surface. Mary's already here waiting. "Hey," I greet her. "What's going on?" I quickly cut to the chase.

She's staring off, looking at nothing in particular. I know that face. She's thinking. It takes her minute to realize that I've arrived and am actually speaking. She finally looks up at me and speaks. "Hey," she says simply.

"Hey," I repeat. "I got your text. What's going on?"

"It's about Will," she tells me. Her expression is hard to read, but it's very stiff.

After she says that, my stomach drops a mile. "What about him?" I ask her, quietly and slowly, although I already know in my heart what it is.

"He knows," she says calmly. "He found out our secret." She's staying very calm about this. But the puffiness around her eyes tells me that she was upset before I got here. I guess she waited to text me until she composed herself.

"He. . . he does?" I reply shakily. She nods. "But. . . how?"

"I don't know, I didn't get that far," she tells me. "I was too upset to bother. . ."

"Well, what happened?" I ask anxiously.

She explained it all to me, the spilled water, the transformation, Will's confession of knowing, the questions, her refusal, the scene in the water. Everything. I was almost speechless afterward. I couldn't believe it.

"And now I have to figure it all out. He's not going to let it go until I tell him everything. I just have no clue what I'm going to do," she tells me.

"How did he react?" I ask her.

"He was very surprisingly calm. . ." she says thoughtfully. "Unusually calm. . ."

"What do you mean 'unusually calm'?" I reply.

She seems to think about it for a moment. "It seemed almost as if. . . he was prepared for it. . ."

"If he knew your secret, of course he was prepared," I cut in.

"But it wasn't like that. . . It was different. . ." She looks as if she's thinking again. "Almost as if this wasn't really. . . new to him. Like he's seen it before. . ."

Suddenly, her face lit up, like it dawned on her. "Like he's seen it before!" she repeated, this time yelling. "Jessie! Don't you get it?"

I was confused I didn't. "No. . ."

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Bella!" she screamed. "That's why he wasn't freaked out! He knew about Bella being a mermaid, so he was prepared for me being one!" She shook me harder yet.

As she let go, the idea made its way through my head as I regained my stability. She could be right. "Mary, you might be right," I told her. "But that still doesn't explain how he found out."

She thought about it for a moment. "I'd bet you my tail that however he did find out has to do with Bella, too. I found out about her. Maybe she found out about me. But I could kill her for telling Will if it is her."

"You might be right again," We sat there, thinking about it, talking about the possibilities. Something came to my head.

"Wait," I said. I paused for a moment. "Does Will know about me?"

"I don't think so. He didn't really show an indication of it," she replied. "But. . . I did slip up and say 'our' instead of 'my'. He got a little suspicious after that..."

"What did you tell him?" I asked quickly.

"Like I said, nothing," she repeated. "I told you, I was too upset to tell him anything at all."

"You can tell him about me. If he's making you tell him everything, then there's no sense lying about me." I say quietly.

"I'm not about to risk it for you, too," she says. "I'll just leave you out of it."

"No," I say sternly. "I'm not about to let my best friend go through this alone, especially when I can be there for her. Tell him about me,"

After a minute, she speaks again. "Ok."

"When do you plan on talking to him?" I ask, changing the subject a little.

"As soon as were done here. I have to do it sometime, and the longer I wait, the harder it'll be. I just have to get through this," she says. We're silent for a little bit. I finally speak again.

"Do you think we can trust him?" I ask quietly.

Mary takes a deep breath and thinks about it. "I don't know yet," she says. "But I intend to find out. I just really hope we can."

"Good luck," I say.

"Thanks," she replies. There's a mutual thought inside us that both of us know she needs to go now. I give her one last reassuring smile. She returns it to my. She submerges under the water and begins to kick.

And then she's gone.

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><p><strong>Anna<strong>

I walk down the empty beach. The breeze is light, blowing stray auburn hairs from my face. The water crashes on the shores, splashing cold water on my ankles. I laugh at the coolness.

I take my phone from my pocket to check for any text messages. There aren't any. I groan and return my phone to my pocket. I texted Mary and Jessie at least ten times after school today. No reply from either. I tell myself they just got caught up and didn't look at their phones. It's Friday night, after all.

I walk over and take a seat on one of the sea rocks far away from the water. I was wearing normal clothes and didn't want to get wet. I thought about Mary and Anna, how they had been so reserved lately. I thought about them not returning my texts. It all seemed connected somehow. Not to mention it was right after Mako. I tried to quit thinking about all of it. I was just looking way too into it.

I was distracted by a sun glare from the ground. I looked down, thinking it was probably just sea glass or something. Nut it wasn't. In the small rocky crevice beneath my feet, was something shiny and silver. Most of it was covered my flip flops that I hadn't noticed when I sat down. They looked just like Jessie's flip flops, soft tan material with braided red decoration.

I pushed the flip flops aside to see what was underneath it. It was a cell phone. Not just any cell phone, it was Jessie's. But what was it doing here? I flipped it open. Four new messages popped up that brought me to her inbox. All of them were from me. I pushed the down button until I came to the last message before mine. It was from Mary. Being nosy, I opened it.

_We need to talk. Meet me at Mako as soon as you get this._

I stared at the text in disbelief. This brought the Mako thing right back to the front of my thoughts.

What in the world was going on?


	10. Try to Talk

**Heyyyy! Alrighty, I hope you like this chapter! I'm not entirely happy with the way this one came out, I made a thousand changes over and over again, but I'll let you be ther judge. Read and review! Thanks! :) ~JNZ**

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><p><span>Chap. 10<span>

**Will**

I sat on the edge of the dock, deep in thought. My legs were hanging over the edge above the water, steadily, slowly moving the way gravity took them. It had been about an hour since Mary had run off. I didn't know where she went, how long she'd be gone. I could only hope that she was ok and that she'd come back soon.

I thought over what had happened. I felt terrible about it. I thought it had been the right thing to do. I thought that taking the stern approach to this would get Mary to talk, to open up. To tell me. But I couldn't have been further from wrong.

And I did it all out of worry. I was too worried about Mary, about what had happened to her, about what she may be feeling. I was so caught up in it that I forgot to think about how she'd feel about what I was doing. I was selfish and stupid, all out of wanting the best for her.

I would never try to hurt Mary. But I did. I just felt like I needed to protect her. I've seen what Bella, Cleo, and Rikki have been through, not to mention the countless stories they've told me. I couldn't let it happen to Mary. I just couldn't. I care too much about her to let her go through that struggle.

And now, I may not be able to help her. She may be too upset to even let anything out, and it's all my fault. I might not ever know anything. I can't even imagine how it happened. Based on the girls' standards, it couldn't have. Which makes me even more scared.

And now, my stupid decision not only put Mary in danger, but the girls as well. What if Mary unearthed something that will put them all in danger? I had to get her to tell me something. But it might already be too late.

I dropped my head to my hands and let out a sigh. Being so wrapped in my thoughts, I didn't even hear the light footsteps come up behind me. When I finally did realize, I looked up. Relief spread through me. It was Mary.

She knelt down beside me and started to take the sitting position I was in. My protective instincts kicked in. I held my arm out across her chest, as if trying to hold her back. "Careful," I say. "Water."

She pauses for a second, but then takes her hand and gently moves mine away. "I think I'll survive," she says. She takes the position I have and settles. Her feet aren't even close to touching the water.

We sit in silence for a while. Neither of us say anything. I can't even think of anything to say. I'm almost sure she can't either.

After thinking about it, I know what to say and finally break the silence. "Mary. . ." I start. She slowly turns her head to look at me. "I. . . I'm really sorry," I say. My voice is dripping with sincerity. "About everything. . ."

She takes this in and considers it. After what seems like an eternity, she slowly nods. "I accept your apology," she says, her voice also carrying sincerity.

We're silent again. I guess we're both just thinking. A lot. Mary finally breaks the silence this time. "Look, Will..." she begins. She stops.

I can tell she has no idea what to say next.

**Mary**

I've been silent almost the entire time I've sat here with Will. I finally speak. "Look, Will. . ."

I honestly have no idea what to say next. Where to begin. What I should ask. What I should tell. I try to start simply. "Will," I repeat quietly. "We can't avoid this forever."

He nods. "I know," he replies.

I get straight to the point. I know the longer I put it off, the tougher it will be. "What do you want to know?" I ask straight up.

He slowly turns his head to look at me. I he looks deep into my eyes. I want to look away, feeling even that is giving too much away, but I keep his gaze. "Everything," he says. "I want to know everything."

I solemnly nod. I feel tears threaten, so I look away. This isn't going to be easy. I swallow them back and blink a few times to reduce the potential puffiness. I think of a reply. "Why?"

He thinks about it, as if trying to come up with an answer that I know he knows."Because I need to protect you," he says. "I can't let anything happen to you," he says. I know he's being truthful, but I know more in my heart than in my mind that there's something more to it. He catches me off guard with what he says next. "Why didn't you tell me?" He sounds sad, almost hurt.

"You don't understand," I tell him. "This isn't just any stupid secret. It's bigger. Something extraordinary. Something no one has heard of. Something no one can be trusted with. We didn't know who we could trust," I speak as I think of me and Jessie, everything we've been thinking of. "I don't even know if I can trust you."

Now he looks hurt as he looks into my eyes. "You can trust me with anything," he says. "No matter what."

"Sometimes saying it isn't enough," I tell him. He looks away at that and becomes silent. We're both silent again. Suddenly, he wrinkles his brow, as if remembering something.

"You keep saying 'we'," It isn't a question.

Despite Jessie's wishes, I ward him off. "Forget it, Will." That's not a suggestion. It's a command.

"Mary," he says. "I've already found out. Why won't you trust me with the whole story?" He looks into my eyes and I have to look away.

I stay silent for a minute. I think about why I'm holding out on him. "Because you weren't supposed to know in the first place." That's the honest truth.

"You should have told me," he says.

"Why?" I shoot at him. "Give me a good reason why I should have."

He doesn't have one. But he tries to think one up real quick. "Because you can't handle this on your own. You're only 14. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"And you do?" I reply.

"More than you think. . ." he mutters so I can barely hear. "You'd be surprised. . ."

"No, I wouldn't," I blurt. "Because I know about Bella."

He's taken aback, but he tries not to show it. He tries to ward me off. "What are you talking about? Don't be ridic-"

"Don't waste your time, Will," I tell him straight up. "I know she's a mermaid, I know you know about her, I know that's why you weren't surprised when you found out about me, and I know that you found out about me from her."

He sighs and accepts this, slowly taking it in. "How do you know all this?"

"I'm smarter than you think," I smirk. That's the closest I've gotten to a smile the whole time we sat here. "I figured most of it out on my own."

"Way to go," he sarcastically congratulates me. "How did you find out about her?"

"Tell her to be more careful where she swims," I tell him. He groans slightly. "Will, relax," I tell him.

"How long have you known about her?" he asks. I'm answering; I'm just glad his questions aren't focusing on me any longer.

"About a month," I tell him.

"Before you were a mermaid?" he asks.

"Yes," I say. When I answer that, he looks puzzled for a moment.

"And you didn't tell anybody?" he says slowly. I nod. Although that's not entirely truthful, I think this counts as an exception. "I don't understand. . ." he goes on. "Why did you keep her secret? Why wouldn't you just do what everyone else would and tell?"

I thought about it. I really didn't know why I had kept her secret. I had a thousand opportunities to tell someone, but I didn't. "I don't know," I tell him. "I guess I just don't think like that. And now, being in her place, I'm glad I didn't."

He nods solemnly. "How did she find out about me?" I ask him. It catches him off guard. He wasn't expecting me to be asking the questions now.

He contemplates whether to answer. He finally decides for it. "She saw you swimming. Out by the reefs."

"Ah," I acknowledge that. But now I have another question. "How long have you known?"

He looks over at me. "About you or Bella?" he says.

"Both," I reply instantly.

He raises his eyebrows. He decides to answer again. "I've known about you for two days," That surprises me. I expected a longer time frame. "And I've known about Bella for . . . months."

His last answer _really _surprises me. _That _long? Wow. I realize something now. "And you've kept Bella's secret that long?" I ask.

"Yep," he replies simply.

I pause before I say what's on my mind. "Then I guess that gives me a reason to trust you," I say. He looks a little confused. "Because that's a lot better than just saying you're trustworthy." At this, he smiles.

"Really?" he asks, as if he can't believe it.

I take a deep breath and decide within myself that I'm going to trust him. I just hope it's the right decision. "Yes," I tell him. "I trust you."

"I wish you would've known that from the beginning," he says.

I punch him in the arm playfully. "Shut up," I say, half kidding. We both laugh a little. I get serious again. "We _were _thinking about telling you. Honestly."

"There you go with the 'we's' again," he says. "Are you still holding out on me?"

"Maybe a bit," I say truthfully.

"Why? It's useless at this point," he tells me.

"Why is that?" I say. "What, are you going to _make _me tell you?"

"You _have _to tell me," he replies. "You don't really have a choice at this point." There's an edge in his voice, the same one he used in his previous approach. He's suddenly treading dangerous waters with me right now.

"Will, don't do this," I say. I'm putting in an edge too. He's not in a position to be doing this and I'm trying to get that across to him.

"Mary, quit messing around," he tells me sternly, acting as if he's can control the situation. He's only fooling himself. What he gets to know, how much I really trust him is my decision, not his.

"I believe I could say the same to you," I retort.

I see his face soften. I think he realizes what he's done. He probably was doing it not even on purpose. He was just worried about me, and it was getting the best of him. "I'm sorry," he tells me genuinely. "I'm just a little stressed out."

I chuckle a little. "Maybe you need some time to think, too," I tell him. He relaxes a little.

"Maybe you're right," he says. "I've done this before. But that was under way different circumstances. I thought I could handle it this time, but I guess I can't. I don't know what to do…"

"Take it a step at a time," I say. "But right now, you need to go to the café or the beach or something and clear your head." He stands up.

"Alright," he reluctantly agrees. I know he wants to stay, to still try and handle it, but I know he can't. He needs to get a handle on just the fact before I can tell him anything.

"Don't worry about me, Will. I'm fine, really," I tell him as he begins to go. I quiet my voice as he stops and looks at me. "Trust me."

His face looks solemn and genuine when he says, "I do," And then he walks off.


	11. Seeing

Chap. 11

**Jessie**

I make my way back to shore after Mary had left to go find Will. I was really anxious to see how it went. I don't even know if she talked to him yet.

As I walk home, I pull out my phone to send Mary a text to ask how it's going. With second though, I return it to my pocket. I don't want to interrupt anything that might be going on.

As I walk, I pass Rikki's Café. A lot of people are there, sitting outside on the patios and people going in and out. I squint as I recognize a face. It's Bella's. She's surrounded by two other girls that I remember to be Rikki, the owner, and Cleo, the sister of Kim, who's in my class. They're sitting on a striped patio couch by the outdoor counter, laughing about one thing or another.

Suddenly, someone else approaches them. I have to squint harder to see who it is. Then I realixe.

It's Will.

I stop in my tracks at the sight of him. Wasn't Mary supposed to be talking to him? I had no clue what was going on. He takes a seat next to Bella and joins them on the couch.

I quickly make a turn and sit myself on a bench, sight distance away from the café. I can still see Will, Bella, and the other two. I quickly take out my phone again to look natural.

My fingers are fiddling with my phone, but my eyes are locked on the four teenagers sitting outside the café. They all seem to give a friendly greet to one another as Will gives Bella a kiss on the cheek. Suddenly, their faces change, as if everything just got serious. I only see Will's mouth moving. Uh-oh.

My stomach drops. The feeling in my gut tells me this is bad. _Really _bad. I don't know what he knows. Did he even talk to Mary yet? What did she tell him? What is _he _telling_ them? _Is it even about us? Am I totally overreacting?

I keep my cool and look at them. The girls' faces are changing constantly. Sometimes showing confusion, even shock. My stomach drops lower.

Will's talking goes on about five minutes; sometimes the others chime in with something. He's speaking to them seriously. His face is hard and unreadable.

Suddenly, a teenage boy walks by carrying two drinks in his hand. Focused on holding them, he doesn't see the chair leg in front of him. He trips, sending the drinks flying towards the group on the couch. They splash all over everyone's legs.

The guy stumbles to his feet. I can just make out him saying the word "Sorry," with a sincere expression. But everyone who was splashed is too panicked to notice. They all look at each other quickly, especially the girls.

And then I realize. Bella got wet. She's going to change.

I see Will start to push the girls into the café, running, pushing… all of them? They're all in a frenzy. But why is Will pushing all of them if Bella's the only mermaid?

Before I can see anything else, I spring off of my bench and head in the direction of home.

My mind races over what I just saw. The girls getting wet, Will struggling over himself to get them all out, and the panicked look on all of their faces. What was going on? …Was it possible? It couldn't be true.

Instead of going home, I made a detour and headed to Mary's house. Now that I knew Will wasn't home, the coast was clear. I approached her isolated boat shed house and knocked feverishly on the door. Mary came and opened it.

"Jessie?" She looked confused for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "Jessie! What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk. Now." I brush past her, going inside, grabbing her wrist to make sure she came along. I pulled her into her living room and had her sit on the couch.

"What?" she asks in a demanding tone. She's obviously not in the mood. I suppose this meant she talked to Will.

I cross my arms. "Did you talk to Will yet?" It sounded more like an accusation than I meant it to.

"Yes…" she says. I raise my eyebrows. "Well, sort of…" she adds.

"What did you tell him?" I ask quickly. I take a seat next to her and settle in.

"Really, nothing," she says. I must look confused because she goes on to explain without me having to ask. "I confronted him about it, but he's taking a bit of time to take in the whole idea. I told him to go clear his head."

"He was doing that alright…" I mutter under my breath.

"Sorry?" she says, referring to my quiet speech.

"It's just…" I hold back, not wanting to make a huge deal. "I just saw Will talking to Bella and her two friends, Cleo and Rikki. Whatever they were talking about is beyond me but it looked like…"

Suddenly, Mary shoots to her feet. "WHAT?" she yells. "He WHAT?"

"No, no, no, it just may have looked like that…" I slowly pull her back to sitting position, hoping to diffuse some of her anger. "But there's a twist…"

Mary raises her eyebrows through her furious expression. "What exactly happened?"

I recount everything that happened it the last twenty minutes, from Will's approach to their panicked take off into the café. I don't leave out anything.

"Uh-oh," Mary says, finally calm, despite what I just told her. "This is bad."

"We seem to be using that phrase a lot lately, haven't we?" I reply. I put my head in my hands. This is too much.

"So the other two…" Mary says. "They're… mermaids?"

"It seems like it," I reply. "But we shouldn't assume anything." We both let out a sigh.

"I'll sort this through myself," Mary tells me. "This is my problem, not yours. Will doesn't know about you yet. This is my fault."

"Mary, don't even say that," I reply. "Don't even say that. We're both mermaids. We're both at risk here. And I'm not about to let you face this alone." My voice lowers. "I'm here for you."

She smiles. "Thank you," she replies. She looks at out the window. The sun is setting. "You'd best be getting home. It's starting to get dark. Plus, I don't want you to have to see what's about to come." We both laugh.

"Alright," I stand up and head for the door. She follows me there. I turn around to face her before I exit. "Good luck. Again." I smile half heartedly.

She chuckles slightly. "Thanks, I'll need it."

I turn and exit. As I walk towards my own home, I keep hoping that this will just get better.

**Bella**

That evening, Cleo, Rikki, and I decided to meet up at the café. We're all still a bit worried about everything that's going on with Mary. We decided some girl talk would take our minds off it.

I grabbed the three strawberry smoothies from the counter and joined the girls at the patio couch where we claimed a spot. I handed them their drinks and sat down next to them. We enjoyed our smoothies for a minute without speaking.

Cleo finally broke the silence, but not with something any of us wanted to hear. "So how do you sppose it's going with Will and Mary?" she commented anxiously. She took another sip of her smoothie.

"Ah," I put my finger up to stop her. "We're supposed to be taking our minds off of that, remember?" I sipped my smoothie too. "Anyway, I'm sure it's fine."

"Uh, I think we're about to get our answer," says Rikki. I look up at her. She's pointing out somewhere. I turn my head and look in that direction. She's pointing at Will, who's jogging towards us. As he approached, I could see he was looking distressed.

When he reached us, he stopped to catch his breath. "Will, what are you doing here?" I ask anxiously.

"I needed… to talk to… you guys," he says between breaths.

"What about?" counters Cleo, even more anxious than she was before.

I can barely make out the breathy word that comes out of his mouth. "Mary."

My eyes widen. I motion for Will to sit down. When he finally catches his breath, we're ready to talk.

"What happened?" I ask quickly. "Did you talk to her?" Turns out I'm not as calm as I supposed myself to be.

"Yes, I did," he replies. His expression is unreadable.

"What happened?" I repeat.

He explains the whole story to us. What he did, how he let her know he found out, and how she responded. We all groane simultaneously.

"Will!" I scolded. "You went about that the completely wrong way!" Cleo and Rikki nodded in agreement.

"I know, I know, I realize that now," he says. I can hear the regret in his tone. "But I fixed it."

"You what?" Rikki says.

"I fixed it," he repeats. "When she came back after running away, I apologized. She accepted my apology."

"Then what happened?" replies Cleo.

"We just talked a little bit. I told her a little about Bella." My eyes widen. He WHAT? He answers my expression. "She knew about you."

"She WHAT?" we all say in unison. He holds up his hands to calm us down. "How did she find out about me?"

"I asked her the same question. Her exact words were, 'Tell her to be more careful where she swims'." He shrugs.

"How long has she known about me?" I realize I'm now leaning forward in my seat when I almost fall off.

"About a month, she said," he tells me. "Even before she was a mermaid."

I'm perplexed. "You… you mean she kept my secret?" I say slowly.

"Yep," he replies. "At least, I suppose she did. That's what she said."

I can't believe that Mary actually kept my secret. Why would she do that? It's a mystery to me.

"After I told her about Bella, without giving anything away, she decided to trust me. But I was a little too freaked out at the moment so she told me to come clear my head." He pauses and tilts his eyes up. "Feels clear," he says. He grins as I give a little laugh.

"Well, as long as-" I don't have time to finish before a teenage boy trips on our couch, sending his juices flying. The liquid spills in the laps of the four of us.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the kid says as he hands us some napkins. Before I can even hold out my hand or say, "It's okay," Will is pushing the three of us into the café as quickly as possible.

And right before we enter, I can't help but see an extremely familiar girl on looking this entire event.


	12. Explanation

Chap. 12

**Will**

After I rushed the girls into the café with less than seconds to spare, they made it to the office and all dropped into their tails. I looked at the three of them lying on the floor as mermaids. At that moment, I realized I could handle it.

They began to struggle. I grabbed a few towels for them from the front room, went back into the office and closed the door. As they were drying themselves off, I began to think about it. I had known about Bella, Cleo, and Rikki for months now. I knew their secret and understood it, accepted it.

But what hadn't made sense in my mind was why it was suddenly different. Why had I flipped over Mary? Mary's situation was really no different from what I could tell. But all of a sudden, I had been freaking out over it. Why?

I realized now. I had a certain protectiveness over Mary, one that I didn't have with anyone else. I felt obligated to protect the girls, but with Mary, it was brought to an entirely different level. Not only was I obligated, but I _needed _to. I wouldn't ever forgive myself if anything happened to her. And now, that feeling was coming into necessary play.

I crouch down next to Bella as she still tries to dry herself. She looks up at me. "What's up?" she asks.

"I need to go," I say plainly. She looks deep into my eyes for a moment, then she understands.

"Ok," she says quietly in reply. I give her a kiss on the cheek and then leave.

As I jog toward our boat house and try to think about what to say. Nothing comes. Hopefully Mary will start it off. Before anything does have time to come, I arrive at our house. I go inside, but I don't see Mary. I call her name. No reply.

I go back outside and look around. I still don't see her. "Mary?" I call out again.

"Will?" comes Mary's voice in reply. It's coming from the water.

I walk over to the dock and look down. There's Mary, her head and shoulders just suspended above the water. Her body and tail are just visible through the rest of the water. My eyes widen, but not for the same reasons as before. "What on earth are you doing?" I almost yell.

Her face turns confused. "I'm swimming. What's the problem?" she asks.

"Swimming here? Where anyone can see you?" I say with exasperation.

"Relax, Will," she says with a slight chuckle. "No one's around."

She's kind of right. We do live in a pretty secluded area. It's just my worries getting the best of me again. "Well, we need to talk. You should probably get out."

I put my arms out to her. She takes them, grabbing about halfway up my arm in order to get a good grip. I pull her out of the water and she positions herself on the dock. She grabs a towel and begins drying herself. I help her in silence. When she is finally dry and turns back into a human, we go inside.

We both take seats on the couch next to one another. As we sit in silence for a minute, I realize she's not going to start. After all, I was the one who wanted to talk to her in the first place.

So I shakily start. "So, I've been thinking…" I realize I'm rubbing my hands together. She slowly nods, glancing at my hands. "And I realized that I can handle it."

She raises her eyebrows at me. "Are you sure?" she asks skeptically.

"Yes," I reply solemnly. "I've known about the girls for months-" For some reason, I see her flinch. "and I realize that it's no different with you. It's just…" I have a hard time thinking how to explain the next part. She nods for me to go on, so I try anyway. "It's just that you're my little sister. And when I found out that you're a mermaid-" Now I flinch, hearing it out loud. "I felt like I needed to protect you. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. And since you didn't tell me I just felt—"

Mary interrupted my rambling. "Thank you for worrying," she says. I must look confused because she proceeds to explain. "It shows me how much you really care about me." She smiles.

"I do care about you," I respond sincerely. "That's why I freaked out. I was worried; I didn't know what to do." I pause. I start again, this time more quietly. "I've seen and heard what's happened to the girls, and I couldn't let those things happen to you."

She nods. I know by her face that she understands and she gets it. But there's something else in her face, like something lingering. I address it quickly. "What?"

She almost begins to speak, but then she pauses and thinks. She finally decides what to say. "What were you doing before you came back?"

I stop dead. What am I supposed to say? I can't exactly tell her that I was at the café telling the girls everything I know about her being a mermaid, especially since she only thought Bella knew she was one and was one herself. I think fast. "I was at the café." Truthful enough.

I won't meet her eyes but she's piercing into mine. "Who with?"

I think about lying, but my mouth speaks before my head can stop it. "Bell, Cleo, and Rikki."

"Doing what?" she asks. She's not missing a beat.

I try to be broad. "Nothing."

"Really?" she says, raising her eyebrows in skepticism. "Because that's not what someone told me."

"Who's someone?" I shoot back.

"No one important," she replies. "But someone said they saw you talking very seriously to the girls and then a drink spilled on you all." My stomach clenched. I was afraid now. She continued. "I expected Bella to run, but not all three."

I stand up. "Mary, where did you get this information from?" I was yelling now. This whole protective instinct was really blowing up in my face.

"You have some explaining to do first," she tells me.

Surprising myself, I don't hold back. I guess knowing that she's a mermaid reassures me that she'll keep all of this a secret. "Fine, Rikki and Cleo are mermaids, too. And when I was talking to them, I told them everything I knew about you being a mermaid."

She looked exasperated. "Why would you do that?"

"To collectively protect all of you," I said quickly. "Now who did this come from?"

I kept my word so she kept hers. "Jessie."

"Jessie?" I repeat, now exasperated as well. "Why on earth would you tell Jessie about all of this?"

"Because she's a mermaid, too," she says. I'm surprised by her honesty.

"She… she is?" I ask.

She nods her head. "I told you I trusted you, didn't I?"

Now I nod. "So start from the beginning."

She hesitates, but then she begins. She tells me the whole story, not leaving out anything. She describes everything from the moon pool, the crystrals, the blue light, the tentacle, and more. She even tells me about Anna and LeeAnne. As she tells the story, the knot in my stomach clenches even tighter. This is all new, almost none seems familiar of what Bella and the others told me. This isn't good.

As she finishes, I gulp. I don't know what to say. She speaks first. "Well?"

"Well…" I repeat. "Sounds like you know what happened."

"No kidding," she replies sarcastically.

"The only thing is that doesn't sound familiar. It's almost nothing like what the others went through to become mermaids. But some of it sounds familiar with other situations they've been in."

"Oh…" she sounds disappointed, and almost afraid. "What are we going to do?"

I sigh. "I have no idea," I say truthfully. "We'll just have to look into it."

She looks almost upset. "Being a science experiment is exactly what I _didn't _want to do."

I slightly chuckle. "You won't be an experiment, but we have to try something." She groans.

"Don't worry," I say. "We'll just take it a step at a time."

* * *

><p><strong>This is the end of part 2! Part 3 is coming, may or may not take a while (probably won't, but I am working on a few other stories.) Thanks for your continuous support! God bless you all! <strong>


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